


Castle on the Hill

by WhatAboutSugden



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Eventual Smut, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Prostitution, Smut, robron - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-07 18:29:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15225300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatAboutSugden/pseuds/WhatAboutSugden
Summary: A year ago, Aaron left Robert and demanded that he leave the village.Now, Robert thinks over his past mistakes and misfortunes and how they all made them the man he is now. And he knows that he has to win Aaron back.





	Castle on the Hill

**Author's Note:**

> Rated explicit for future chapters. 
> 
> Also additional tags used so you know what to expect, just in case any of it isn't your thing! 
> 
> Structure loosely based on Castle on the Hill, it seemed like a good idea in theory, hopefully I can execute it well!

_When I was six years old I broke my leg._  
_I was running from my brother and his friends._  
_Tasted the sweet perfume of the mountain grass I rolled down._  
_I was younger then_.

  
**January, 1992**

"Robert! Andy! Come into the barn and give me a hand with this."  
Robert rolled his eyes at his dad's request. He had no interest in helping with the farm. Jack knew that, but it didn't stop him trying at every turn to change him into a proper farmer. Into Andy.  
Robert was much more interested in playing football, and keeping to himself whenever he wasn't at school. So he pretended not to hear him and continued kicking his ball, further away from the barn so that he could use the distance as an excuse. Keeping his back to his father he ran further down the hill.  
"Robert, come on!" He heard his brother call. He was out with two of his friends, learning the tricks of the trade as his Dad liked to say.  
"Dad will know what you're doing, he's not stupid."  
_Unlike you_ , Robert thought.  
Robert still stays facing away from Jack and the boys. He's never fitted in here. The only one he cares about it Sarah. She's practically Robert's mum now and most of the time he feels like she's the only one who gives a damn. If she was here right now she wouldn't make him work, but she was working at the pub for the rest of the day.  
"Come on, Robbie, do what Daddy says!" one of Andy's idiot friends called.  
"Don't call me Robbie." He responded.  
He walked faster away and down the hill towards the village. If he got to Sarah he could maybe have some fish and chips. She might even lift him up so he can pull a pint if he behaves, he always likes doing that. Maybe he could try and get her to convince Dad to let him join the school football team that practices after school. His dad always says football is for people who don't know how to work hard.  
_It's such a waste of time, Robert_ he says. _You need to get yourself a good work ethic, working hard is reward itself._  
Robert doesn't believe a word of it but he pretends to, to keep his dad happy. But one day he's going to get out of this village, live the life he wants. Maybe Sarah will come with him, her and Dad are always fighting anyway.  
While he was thinking he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. He spins round and realises the boys are throwing stones at him. He's better than this, he's not going to rise to it.  
He turns and walks faster away.  
"Hey, Robbie, come and play!"  
He speeds up more, knowing Andy will turn back soon, he never could say no to Jack.  
He spots the wooden stile in the wall ahead he was looking for as he felt more stones hit his back and ankles. If he can just get over it hopefully they'll head back and leave him alone. He speeds up into a run and hears the boys jeering behind him.  
"Keep running, Robbie, and this one will hurt!"  
He reaches the stile, and as he quickly tries to push himself over, he turns and sees a large stone hurtling towards him. He can do nothing to avoid it and it smacks him in the shoulder and he tumbles backwards, his ankle getting caught between the wall and the stile, twisting away from him at such a speed he couldn't stop it.  
He hears the crack before he feels it, and suddenly he feels dizzy, the pain shooting up his leg the most unbearable pain he's ever felt.  
He hears himself yelling in pain, tears stinging the back of his eyes as he sees the boys turn and run back to the farm.  
He lies there for what feels like hours waiting on someone to come and help him before realising they haven't told Jack for fear of getting in trouble.  
He decides he's going to have to get himself out of this, so he pushed himself onto his elbows before pushing up and trying to put weight on his leg. He screamed in pain before blacking out and crashing back to the ground.

*********

Feeling groggy, Robert opens his eyes and tries to focus in the bright room he was in. He can smell what he thinks is plastic and cleaning products.  
His eyes start to come into focus and he realises he is in hospital, Sarah by his side with Andy, who looks pale as he stares at his hands. _He looks guilty_ , Robert thinks.

"Hey, kid!" Sarah exclaims as she realises he's awake. "How are you feeling? You gave me quite the scare!"

Robert tries to sit up before realising he can't bend his leg. He pushes the covers down to see his leg in full plaster.  
"Yeah, it's broken. You have a few cuts and bruises but you'll live! What were you doing heading to the village on your own, silly boy?"  
Andy still hadn't looked up from his hands in his lap, and Robert looked around realising Jack wasn't there.  
"Did you go and get Dad?" Robert said, glaring at Andy.  
"What?" Sarah jumped in. "No, sweetheart, Andy didn't know you were hurt. He was so upset when I told him, he's been worried about you. Luckily I was heading back early so I found you, you scared me!"  
Robert's face softened as he looked at Sarah, not wanting any arguments right now.  
"I'm sorry. Why were you coming home early?"  
"Oh, Chas had her baby! Little boy. I was coming to get the car so I could visit her. She's in the maternity ward here, we can go visit when you're feeling better if you like?"  
"No, it's fine." Robert replied. He had no desire to visit any Dingles, let alone a baby one. They were a weird family, but Robert had always secretly been a bit jealous of how much they love each other. Not that he would ever admit that, you'd never find him hanging out with a Dingle.  
"They're not that bad." Sarah said, a small smile playing on her lips as if reading his mind.  
"Now, get some rest. And maybe if you're lucky we can get some fish and chips on the way home."

*********

**February, 2018**

As he sat in his car in the middle of the night, looking at an old picture of him and Sarah, he couldn't help but feel stabs of pain, guilt and betrayal. The same feelings he always felt when he let himself think about his mum. He missed her terribly, and although he had always been somewhat of a lone wolf, he never felt lonely when she was around. She was the only person who had ever made him feel like that.  
Until Aaron.  
He smiled sadly as he realised why that was the memory that popped into his head tonight. It was the first time Aaron had entered his life. He had ended up visiting Chas and the baby, but he pretended his leg hurt too much to stay, so they left after a few minutes.  
Robert realised with an ironic smile that he would now, once again, give his right leg if it meant spending a few more minutes with Aaron.  
He pulls his wallet out of his pocket and takes out the rings Aaron had thrown at him all those months ago before demanding that Robert leave the village.  
He turned the rings over in his hand and realised that he had already made his decision. He had been away for over a year, he's been alone long enough.  
He was going to get Aaron back.  
He was going back to Emmerdale.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, any comments or suggestions appreciated!
> 
> Will try and update on a weekly/bi-weekly basis! (We'll see how that goes..)


End file.
